Tell Me a Story
by Krizteena
Summary: Are there rules to storytelling? Young Yuuki and young Zero- adorable.
1. Tell Me a Story

"Tell me a story." Young Yuuki looked at young Zero, who lounged on the couch with a book, to see his reaction. He tilted his head to the side a little, then looked up at her.

"You want me to tell you a story?"

She nodded.

He raised his eyebrows.

"Really."

She suppressed a giggle, but nodded again.

He looked over at the window and leaned back into the couch.

"Once upon a time…"

Yuuki, of course, perked up.

"Once upon a time, there was a freak hellstorm and everyone died."

And this was so… _like_ Zero, that she half-smiled.

"That's a sad story."

_No shit._

"Life's tough."

He glanced at Yuuki, and, seeing her annoyed expression, sighed.

"What's the story got to be about?"

She perked up again, opened her mouth, then closed it.

"You're supposed to decide, stupid." She smirked.

"Alright, alright. A story." He looked up at the ceiling as if looking through a file of stories. Were there any good ones from books he had read that could be translated into a story suitable for Yuuki?

Could he still back out? Were there rules about backing out of a storytelling? Were there rules about storytelling? He tried to think if his mother had told him any stories, but the memories were too clouded with liquidized pain- the tears of the past.

"Okay, so once there was this girl with really _really_ long hair, and she was locked in a tower by this evil witch 'cause her father was tricked into selling her for this fancy lettuce stuff to feed his greedy wife-"

He stopped when he saw the incredulous look on her face.

"What?"

She sighed. "Repunzel?"

"What?" he cried in exasperation. "It's a story!"

"Repunzel is _so _overdone. Tell me a more original story. Make up something!"

Really. He combed his mind once more before deciding on a story he was a little more sure she hadn't heard.

"Alright, alright. Once upon a time-"

"Make it a love story! They're soo cute!"

"-There was a boy, and a girl."

Yuuki leaned forward in her seat in anticipation.

"And just this boy and this girl. They lived in a world where all they had was each other. But… There was a wall between them. They couldn't hear each other, they couldn't touch each other. They could only see each other. They would sit for hours, just looking at each other."

Yuuki's eyes: _Aww!_

"So they of course, wanted to be together. But as the boy looked at the girl, one day, he realized that he really knew nothing about her. He didn't know her name, he didn't know even if she was a good person. He knew she could very well be wishing to kill him as they looked at each other. He knew she could be something different than what he saw. And, he knew that they were somehow different.

"The girl, meanwhile, was focused on how to get to the boy. She wanted to be with him, she wanted to tell him how much he mattered to her, but the wall still sat between them.

"And then…"

Zero closed his eyes, lost in his story.

"Then one day the boy stood up. He was tired of the wall. He put his hand against the thick glass.

"And punched. Not a dent. So he punch it again, and then again, until it suddenly shattered. As far as they could see either way, the glass was shattering and crumbling to the ground."

Zero opened his eyes.

Yuuki was smiling, obviously happy with the story.

"So do I pass?" He glanced at her. She raised her chin, pretending to calculate his score.

"Do they live happily ever after?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Pht, no." He sat up, grabbing his book. "The glass regenerates before the boy gets his hand back and cuts off his arm. They're still stuck on separate sides, _to this day._"

And the look on Yuuki's face was priceless. Slack-jawed, she could only stare.

Until she straightened up and spoke, setting her jaw.

"I don't believe you."

_Priceless._

Are there rules to storytelling?

"Uh, I don't think it works that way."

"No, I think after the glass crumbles the boy steps across and swoops the girl up in his arms-"

"And they live happily ever after?"

Nod. Stare. Pause. Smile.

"Life's tough."

**End.**

**A/N: Alright, so I was totally peeling this idea out of Once Upon His Return. Tell me a story was first written for it, but I decided to do two different things. Here, they are young Zero and Yuuki. I dunno, some time after they've become accustomed to each other but before they're… older. Story is based on Draw With Me, Youtube video- real cute, go watch it right now :)**

**It is 11:32 PM right now, March 26, 2011. I am laying in bed, waiting for Fullmetal Alchemist to come on… And I really just sat down and wrote this, instead of writing it and waiting forever to post it. It's a miracle.**

**Thanks to Matsiro Hino for the inspiration to start writing, and to my reviewers for their support :)**


	2. Give Me an Ending

There was a wall between them. A wall made of such clear glass, even he didn't always see it.

Zero looked at Yuuki. She sat at the kitchen table, once again staring blankly at her algebra textbook. So normal. So average. Yet so much more than that.

Walking side-by-side, people saw Yuuki and Zero as siblings, as friends, as lovers. They had certain similarities that could get them grouped together in a crowd, a certain way they could act toward each other that made them similar. No one could see anything standing between them.

The glass was thick though. A wall nearly impenetrable.

Yuuki felt his gaze and looked up, once again, from her studies to her tutor. His eyes flickered to her textbook, ready to offer some assistance. Anything she needed. He pointed to where her pencil left off on the most recent equation. Her eyes followed his finger, but she was lost.

There was something there, though. Whether you could see it, or feel it, or not.

He stood and walked around the table to her side, so he could better explain her mistake. He could feel her tense when he drew nearer to her, though he kept space between them. Her instinct was only human. And he wasn't.

They were so different, really. So many reasons he shouldn't be allowed to have her. Her innocence, her inner beauty. Her humanity. It wasn't fair. There was every reason in the world he shouldn't have her. But he did.

Even _he_ didn't always see it. He would choose to look through the glass, to the angel on the other side.

Zero had Yuuki. She was always there for him. Always here, he thought as he took note of the closeness of her presence. He longed to just... just rest his head on her shoulder. Just... wrap his arms around her, to feel her gentle hands... He couldn't let that happen though. These were selfish thoughts. They couldn't be. Zero and Yuuki couldn't be. There was too much between them.

But did it matter? Would he let these things stand between them?

...Did he love her enough? And if he did, would he really do everything to be with her, or would he let her go?

Yuuki scribbled down some more numbers, appearing correct. "Right?" she said, catching herself before turning her head to face him.

He muttered his consent but didn't return to his seat. Yuuki turned in her chair to look at him.

Was it worth it? To be so close to something and deny yourself to it? To let something stand in the way?

She smiled sadly, but as she raised her hand towards his, he reached out and patted her head dismissively as he started to walk away.

But she wouldn't let him- she reached out and grabbed at his fingers clumsily, eyes imploring. But he didn't turn to face her.

"Zero..." Her soft voice echoed to his ear. She gripped his hand a little more firmly.

"What is it?" He muttered in response. Then it struck him, before she said a word.

The wall separated them. Two of them. Zero saw it. He saw it firmly and chose to decide the glass was clear as ice, that he could look through it. But did Yuuki see it? Did she recognize what was standing between them? Feeling her fingers in his, he sensed she knew. She was testing that barrier.

Once before, Zero met that barrier. When he... When he nearly made the mistake of kissing her. He met that barrier and stopped himself before they got hurt.

He turned toward Yuuki, gazing down at her curiously. What was she thinking?

"...I-It's nothing-" She stuttered and started to draw her hand back, but now it was her hand in Zero's grip. There was that moment of human panic when she started to fumble back in defense, but she seemed to catch herself.

There was that wall.

Her heart fluttered; Zero could hear it. He could always hear it... Her gaze shifted nervously as his grip on her hand became more gentle. She seemed unsure what to do or say.

_I don't know whether to pull her closer or push her away..._

"Are you going to ask me to release you?" He said, his voice nearly a whisper. She started, but shook her head firmly, a slight blush rising to her cheeks... Zero's face softened, slightly surprised. He looked down at her hand. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear nervously.

Sometimes we have to accept certain facts of life. Certain things won't change.

Without any warning, Zero gave her hand a hard tug, pulling her against him; he wrapped his arms around her. Surprised, she tensed, but gradually relaxed into a smile with her hands trapped between Zero and her.

He would do whatever it took to be with Yuuki, but if it put her in danger... No, he wasn't sure. But until he figured it out...

He tucked his face into her hair, sending a chill down her spine. This was what he wanted. Time was his enemy as it ticked by. Until he figured out what to do, this was enough.

Such a lie.

Her heart thrummed against him as he held her close, her body heat melted him. This would never be enough. He would always long for her blood.

"Zero?" he opened his eyes at her worried voice as she called him out of his thoughts. She squirmed in his arms. "Er, should I...?" He tightened his grip on her, making her go freeze, but then loosened his grip and let her go, turning to walk away.

"Are you okay Zero?" He stopped in the doorway to look at her, offer a small smile, and nod.

Zero knew there was a wall between them. Yuuki felt it too, whether she really knew it. She knew. But she didn't care. Letting Zero hold her like that... She only worried for Zero's sake. She worried he would never let her go. She knew, deep in her heart, that he might have to someday.

They had a similarity that could get them grouped together in a crowd. They shared feelings for each other. They shared uncertainty of what to do about it. They shared knowledge of the wall.

Releasing Yuuki was difficult for Zero to do. Every moment they had together only left him wanting more. She was his addiction. Every moment hurt, because he knew one day he wouldn't be able to have as much as he wanted. One day he would want every drop of her, he would have her life in his hands. That's not what he wanted.

They couldn't have their happy ending. He couldn't just sweep her up in his arms and run. Life didn't work that way. Not his life. They couldn't... They couldn't be together as long as Zero was a vampire and Yuuki was human. No, Zero wouldn't muse the thought of Yuuki ever losing her humanity to a vampire. He wouldn't see the possibility that she might ever become a vampire. He couldn't imagine that she would ever have to suffer this.

They couldn't have their happy ending.

The end.

**Krizteena: So. I'm a little rusty. But i was inspired by parallelism to finish this up. They're old now, obviously. Yuuki knows he's a vampire, if you didn't figure that out. And they're totally in love with each other. Sigh.**


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